breaking bad habits

Here is something funny. On Friday nights, we have a small group meeting up at the mission guesthouse. So we would tell our kids we were going up to the mission. Except when we went to the mission, really we were just going to the Kubacki’s home, the family that lives in the guesthouse now. But, in Ava’s mind she equated “the mission” with the Kubacki’s. So she refers to the Kubacki family as “The Mission.” As in, “Is ‘The Mission’ coming with us?” or “Why doesn't 'The Mission' have to eat fruit before they get chips” So, after over a year, she was still calling them The Mission so I had a chat with her and explained that we can call them by their names. She seemed to understand, but still to this day she calls them The Mission. But it’s kinda cute, so I just let her.

I am so like Ava. During the past year in Altamira we picked up plenty of Portuguese, some of it, I am finding, was erroneous. So the problem of unsticking of the wrong words and replacing them with the correct words is really hard. And when I continuously mess up it does not come off nearly as cute as Ava. O well. We are still plugging away.

We have this 7 more days of class and I am nervous even writing that because I need so much more. It hasn’t been easy though, especially for Josh. God allotted him about 1500 words a day. That is just how Josh is designed. So imagine this, Josh spends all of those words, in Portuguese, while the teacher shakes her head saying, “wrong,” or “again.” Josh comes home exhausted and is not in the mood to say one more word. It makes him a real treat to be with. But we knew language school would be challenging. Despite the ocean, the restaurants and the pickles, mustard, and nectarines we can experience here, it has not been without challenges.

O yeah, I almost forgot, we found a small jar of Peter Pan peanut butter. It was $14.

Here is what the guys do in their free time.

Ava has enjoyed the beach even more then the other kids, she pitches her body into the waves and screams to herself gleefully. Probably because she feels rather caged all morning in the small house we share with 2 other families.